By Bru-Hed

NEWBIES: If this is your first trip here (welcome!), here’s the QT on what these reviews are.

THIS WEEK: My 100th review is for the best film of this year so far!
Marvel’s Merc-With-A-Mouth finally gets his own flick. Ryan “Don’t Call Me Green Lantern” Reynolds is Wade Wilson, the wisecracking mercenary mutant hunting the douchebag who cured his cancer at the expense of losing his looks, with and without the help of X-Men’s Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. We also get a full origin story in flashbacks along with the story behind his relationship with his stripper girlfriend.

Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Directed by Tim Miller. (Character created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza.)

PROS:

The writers worked on ZOMBIELAND so they know comedy-action. Great dialog. The joking by the character you see in the trailer is throughout the flick. Wiseguy-wise, he makes Spider-Man look like Mr. Fantastic. You’d love to hang out with this guy, especially if you’re bummed out.

Best opening of a Marvel movie—if not any superhero movie—EVER. Especially the credits!

Considering the budget was supposedly only $50 mil, the special effects were on par with most any other super-flick. A couple fake-looking things here and there (Colossus is definitely CG but works) but overall fine. Deadpool’s regenerative healing powers look good and they actually try to make his eyes move with his emotions like they do in the comic.

First R-rated Marvel movie earns the rating: Plenty of violence, guns and blades, blood and a few explosions. And BOOBIES! Yes, folks, we finally get one that passes my rigorous “bullets-and-blood to boobs-and-butts” ratio. Deadpool’s gal works in a strip club and we get a nice full view of the place and its pros. T and A I can freeze-frame and watch in slo-mo till I explode.

This isn’t in the movie…but who cares?!

Speaking of, Wade’s main squeeze Vanessa is the gorgeous-and-hot Morena “Gotham Serenity” Baccarin, who still looks as awesome as she did 14 years ago ins space; and we get to see her nekkid when her and Reynolds get it on. Heck even one of the baddies, Angel Dust (Gina Carano), shows nice cleavage and has a “wardrobe malfunction” (though it’s hidden…bummer).

In addition to the comedy and battles, there’s a real love story full of real emotion and stuff that critics and wimmen care about.

Really good acting by Reynolds, believe it or not. And his partner/pal Weasel (T.J. “Silicon Valley” Miller) was perfect. The classy, Tony-Award-winning Leslie “Roots” Uggams is Blind Al and dryly funny.

Cameos as always (is that Sam Raimi in the strip club in the foreground by the stage?), but Stan’s is one of his best ever because of where it is (no spoilers).

Definitely some fresh stuff you’ve never seen in a superhero flick before, especially the two cab rides. (How many superdudes actually take a cab to begin with? Let alone leave something behind in one?)

A character talking to the audience is called “breaking the fourth wall” and it doesn’t always work. But here it’s perfect. (As Deadpool says, he breaks the fourth wall of the fourth wall, like 16 walls.”) Lots of in-jokes/visual gags/references to Reynolds’ past characters and flops, the X-Men movies (“Stewart of McAvoy?”), other studios and so on.

Though not as satisfying as I’d hoped, the villain’s payback is perfect for the character and more satisfying than in most other superhero flicks.

Not one but two end-credit buttons, with a reference to a pop culture comedy classic! Funny and funnier. Gotta, gotta stay till the very end.

CONS:

To prepare for this, I read the 1st DEADPOOL CLASSICS tpb. For some reason they completely changed his origin and girlfriend. In the comic, Wilson is recruited as part of Weapon X (just like Wolverine) by the Canadian government. In this, it’s just some unknown/unnamed group no one cares about (or at least wasn’t explained “yet.”) (Also in the comics, Vanessa is a blue-skinned mutant who becomes part of the X-folks. Still works, but seems like they could have done a lot more if they stuck with the gov’t angle, especially with a Wolvie tie-in to help his flicks.

Good-lookin’ Reynolds spends most of his screen-time either covered with a mask or makeup but he’s not nearly as nasty-looking as in the comics. Guessing they didn’t want to gross out the audience too much and make him unwatchable.

Take the good with the bad: in addition to the T&A, we have to see Reynolds’ bare caboose more than once (even after his skin gets fried). And no straight guy I know likes butt sex even if his gal gives it to him!

Torture, even when necessary for the story, can be hard to watch. So is Colossus upchucking.

Suspension Of Disbelief Dept.: 1) Despite super-healing, Deadpool still feels pain so the “127 Hours” moment would really, really hurt! (Do not try that at home, kiddies.) 2) No way does a glass-covered tube protect you from falling buildings! 3) If you don’t have super-healing and get impaled with a pole next to your heart, you’re not going to be up and about a day later. But minor stuff overall.

Speaking of kiddies, this is R-rated for a reason! Cursing, graphic sex, gore, and adult references abound. THIS IS NOT FOR KIDS! You stupid parents who are too cheap for a babysitter, let your kids go out and play with their friends while you see this. Don’t mess ‘em up.

(FROM MIKE): While it’s nice to see the character’s creators “thanked,” they weren’t credited up front, and unlike the Marvel Studios movies, there were no additional thank-yous for all the other writers and artists who came after and turned Deadpool into the popular character he became after their brief 7-page intro. Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Joe Maduereira, Ian Churchill, Ed McGuinness and many others wrote and drew many more Pool pages. Shame on Fox!)

Very few audience members (and prob’ly none of the comic geeks) will get the reference to the REAL Wade Wilson, a 10-year NFL QB, mostly for the Minnesota Vikings. Would have been awesome to have him in a cameo!

OVERALL RATING:

BUY IT!

Didn’t think anything could top the humor of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY but this one’s even funnier. (In fact, if the studios could ever collaborate and team up the two franchises, it’d be another mega-hit!) This has so many moments of comedy gold and unique freshness that it’s impossible to list them all. (Good luck, BATMAN V. SUPERMAN!) I’m tryin’ real hard not to overhype this; but if you’re not the type who’s turned off by the F word, nudity and extreme violence (in other words, if yer a real man like me), you gotta get to the theater and enjoy this, then buy the DVD for all the inevitable extras. (Can’t wait for the gag reel!) More Pool, pleez!

Later,

Bru

P.S. Help me celebrate Bru Review 100! Get some snazzy ORIGINAL ART done by Pascale for a discount! Mention this review and get $10 off. Just tell Craig here!

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Wednesday’s Heroes, Mike Pascale, Ryan Reynolds, Marvel, DC, Image, strip clubs or any international mutant organizations. Bru still draws better than Rob Liefeld, just with a fraction of his dough. If Bru had super-healing powers, he’d eat and drink a lot more.